At my words, Hyuk Dojin narrowed his eyes and looked at me.

Then, he closed his eyes and shook his head lightly.

“I was just surprised. I’ve heard that the women of the Five Great Clans are all extravagant.”

“Who said that?”

“Everyone I knew said so.”

Hyuk Dojin’s walking pace seemed to slow down a bit.

While I was keeping my strides consistent, the distance between us, which had been somewhat far, somehow narrowed.

He walked beside me.

“I’ve heard that the women of the Five Great Clans and Nine Renowned Sects collect all sorts of jewels and accessories while mastering martial arts. They have silk clothes brought from the West and accessories made of elephant ivory. They have so much surplus wealth that they can use whatever they want.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve heard that too.”

I felt Hyuk Dojin’s gaze, who was looking ahead, turn towards me. I raised my eyes to meet his and spoke.

“The men of the Demon Cult are said to be ruthless and unrestrained, not distinguishing between men and women, freely wielding their fists. Moreover, I heard that when they get angry, they cannot control themselves and indiscriminately lash out, even at their own families, wives and children.”

“Who said that?”

“Everyone around me said so.”

“Hoo.”

He looked interested.

Hyuk Dojin stroked his chin, tilted his head as if contemplating for a moment, then subtly smiled.

“Perhaps those who told such tales didn’t actually know the true situation of the Demon Cult and were simply spreading exaggerated stories.”

“Maybe the people known to the Young Cult Leader also didn’t actually know the true situation of the Righteous Sect, so they brought up such exaggerated stories?”

He smiled slightly as I repeated the same words back to him.

“It seems so.”

In the midst of our conversation, we suddenly arrived at the inner palace.

After dismissing those who greeted him, Hyuk Dojin took me and directly headed towards one of the rooms himself.

It was a grand building five stories high.

He guided me to a room located on the second floor, then opened the door and entered.

As I followed him inside, I could understand why he had described the outer palace’s room as small and shabby just a moment ago.

Certainly, the rooms in the inner palace were notably larger in size. Moreover, the paintings hanging everywhere and the ceramics placed on the shelves seemed quite valuable at a glance.

Hyuk Dojin opened the window that had been closed to let in fresh air, then looked around the room before speaking.

“You can stay here temporarily.”

Temporary? I tilted my head, muttering to myself.

If it’s my room, then it’s my room. What did it mean by staying here temporarily?

Hyuk Dojin nodded as he brushed the dust off the table with his finger, then nodded his head once more.

“Yes. I would like to guide you to another room, but this is the only usable room in this building. So please understand even if you don’t like it here.”

He seemed to be thinking in completely the wrong direction. Hyuk Dojin was speaking under the assumption that I wouldn’t like this room.

But that wasn’t what I meant.

“I don’t understand…what do you mean by me staying here ‘temporarily’?”

“Just as I said – temporarily.”

“If there are no other usable rooms left, can’t I simply use this room permanently?”

At my words, Hyuk Dojin tilted his head. He looked at me with wide open eyes, seemingly unable to understand, before slowly opening his mouth.

“Why would you need to do that?”

“Pardon?”

His reaction puzzled me. Why would I need to do that? As I stared at him in confusion, he continued in a calm tone.

“After the wedding ceremony, we will be sharing a room together. So what need is there for you to continuously use this room?”

And the words that came out of his mouth were enough to surprise me.

“Ah…well…”

Sharing a room together?

It was a concept I had never even considered. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I didn’t have the luxury of entertaining such a thought.

This wasn’t a marriage born of love, and in my current situation where I only hoped for a peaceful place to rest, the idea of sharing a room seemed worlds away.

So it was only natural that I was taken aback by Hyuk Dojin’s words.

Conversely, Hyuk Dojin also wore a puzzled expression at my surprise. In truth, there was nothing incorrect about what he said.

After the wedding ceremony, it is customary for couples to spend their first night together and then cohabit, sharing living quarters.

Even if they use separate rooms for personal matters, they share a bedchamber. So it wasn’t wrong for him to bring up the topic of sharing a room together.

However…

“You don’t need to force yourself to share a room with me.”

“What do you mean?”

He tilted his head sideways in response to my calm words.

“There’s no need to push yourself too hard for that.”

“Push myself?”

Even in my past life, the gaze towards people suffering from albinism was tainted with prejudice. Of course, even in that era, albinism was rare, but it was a known disease, and people didn’t point fingers at them as monsters.

However, here, hair as white as hoarfrost or skin so pale it’s almost white only seemed strange to people.

Fortunately, my pupils are black, not purple or red, otherwise, just meeting the eyes would probably be considered a curse.

“Although it’s customary to hold a joint ceremony after the wedding, you don’t need to force yourself to follow that. I know how others perceive me. So there’s no need to push yourself.”

I raised my gaze that had been cast downward on an oblique angle and looked at Hyuk Dojin. He was sitting by the window. The sunlight streaming down his shoulders and back was dazzlingly bright.

He was silently staring at me with his lips pressed firmly together, as if deep in thought.

His posture was unwavering, and his pupils stared directly into mine, as if trying to see through everything, fixed in that spot.

I didn’t want to avoid his gaze. But sunlight was a vulnerability for someone with albinism. As I gently furrowed my brows and stepped back, averting my gaze, he spoke.

“Is the sunlight bothering you?”

With a creaking sound, the window closed, and the blackout curtain blocked the sunlight. However, the room wasn’t dark. The light that softly filtered in was enough to illuminate the room.

“Young lady really looks like a snow lady.”

Hyuk Dojin approached with a calm face.

“Even the serene white hair, pure white skin, and…”

His hand slowly reached up and delicately lifted the end of my flowing hair. I felt my body stiffen at his actions, but Hyuk Dojin didn’t stop speaking.

“Even being sensitive to sunlight.”

Hyuk Dojin lowered my hair and raised his gaze to meet mine.

I tucked my lips inward and bit down, feeling uncomfortable as the atmosphere subtly shifted after the word ‘joint room’.

Although the man in front of me would be my husband soon, that was something for later.

I exhaled deeply, relaxing my tense body. I moved my feet back, distancing myself from Hyuk Dojin.

He looked down at the white hair that was disappearing as if silk thread was slipping out of his hand, and then raised his gaze to meet my eyes.

Hyuk Dojin looked at me intently, then took a step back and slowly spoke.

“I’ve been rude.”

It wasn’t rude. I was just embarrassed. Because nobody except my family would touch my hair, which was white as snow, so casually.

Others would go crazy just touching it, fearing they would be cursed, but Hyuk Dojin seemed unconcerned.

“There seem to be several things that need to be adjusted.”

“Adjusted… what?”

Hyuk Dojin nodded.

“Just as there are rules followed by people in Noble Clans within the Righteous Sect, there are rules within this Heavenly Demon Divine Cult as well. People who are not part of the cult just mock it as a bunch of fools who only worship power, but this place is stricter than anywhere else in terms of laws. And…”

He glanced away as he spoke slowly, then returned his gaze to me and focused his eyes.

“The laws themselves are not to their liking as much as the Righteous Sect.”

“…”

“The reason I personally guided the young lady is also because of that. Although the Protector Do Hyul is the rightful successor of his father, who is a religious leader in name and reality, he is also a disciple of the Demon Cult from the roots. Naturally, he harbors distrust towards people from the Righteous Sect. So,heI tried to avoid bringing the young lady into the inner palace by ignoring the orders I had given.”

The face of an elderly man who had looked at me with a stern expression came to mind.

He seemed uninterested in me, but he turned out to be more meticulous than I thought.

“Thankfully, Do Hyul is a nobleman. Even without him, there are many who show displeasure about marriage with the young lady. Especially considering that you will be my, and not just someone else’s, wife.”

“Is it because I am from the Righteous Sect, or because I took away their opportunities?”

Continuing his words, I spoke. Hyuk Dojin closed his mouth after opening it and looked at me, then chuckled.

“Both. From their perspective, it’s almost like removing a stone that’s been rolling down. So, for the time being, you’ll have to stay in the inner palace and learn various things.”

“I’ve learned some on the way here.”

“I know. However, learning through reading and actually seeing are different, so it’s best to learn gradually by observing. And…”

Hyuk Dojin trailed off, pursing his lips and squinting his eyes.

Why is he doing that? As I tilted my head, Hyuk Dojin narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly.

“You might think it’s unreasonable, but I also think we need to consider how to address each other.”

“What’s wrong with current titles suddenly?”

“For the young lady’s safety.”

“My safety?”

I didn’t understand. How would changing titles affect my safety?

Before I could ask further, a dizzying sensation of anemia washed over me, and I closed my eyes tightly.

Had I been moving for too long? Come to think of it, my knees were trembling, and my waist, which I had straightened, felt stiff. I desperately wanted to lie down right away.

But I couldn’t interrupt Hyuk Dojin, who seemed to be discussing something important. 

Even if that wasn’t the case, it was difficult for me to just coldly ask him, the Young Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, to leave because I was tired. My head was spinning, and my body felt heavier and heavier.

Along with Hyuk Dojin’s voice speaking in front of me, a roaring tinnitus echoed. It felt like my stomach was about to turn upside down. The moment I felt something hot coursing through my throat…

“…Nosebleed?”

A thick trickle of blood flowed from my nose. Hyuk Dojin’s fingertips were stained with dark red blood as he touched my chin.

“Sowol?”

I lifted my head. Hyuk Dojin’s usually composed and calm expression was now crumbling.

He approached me urgently with a look of panic, reaching out quickly to wrap his hand around my waist, and only then did I realize that my body was collapsing.

Hyuk Dojin urgently grabbed my waist and pulled me towards him, skillfully tilting my face forward.

He pulled his sleeve and covered my nose. I desperately pushed his shoulder with my hands as his clothes were gradually soaking with my blood, but he didn’t move away even for a bit.

I couldn’t tell if it was because I had no strength or because of the solid muscles that felt firm in my hands, despite his appearance of some scholar. All I knew was that his clothes were soaked.

“That… please stop …”

“Stay still.”

I tried to turn my head away to avoid him, but he stubbornly followed and wiped the flowing blood. I bit my lips tightly.

It was a mistake. I didn’t feel any better than I usually did.

After almost half a year of constant traveling, my body was exhausted. It wasn’t just the lack of sunlight; my body balance had been off for a long time.

In such a situation, waiting all day, moving around, and being active naturally led to collapse.

I reluctantly shifted my gaze from avoiding his eyes to looking directly at Hyuk Dojin, who was wiping the blood from my nose. He was just silently stopping the bleeding.

It was embarrassing and humiliating, but I had to speak up. I slowly opened my lips after a few hesitations.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. But more importantly, where does it hurt? Suddenly having a nosebleed and collapsing…”

I hesitated for a moment at Hyuk Dojin’s question about my health. What would he say if I told him that I only had six months left?

I couldn’t imagine.

“It’s just because I’m tired.”

Finally, I diverted the conversation. I couldn’t tell if my lie was convincing, but Hyuk Dojin briefly kept silent at my response before slowly withdrawing his hand.

By then, the nosebleed had stopped. My head, which had been spinning due to anemia, also got a little better.

“It’s okay now. You can let me go now…!”

As I spoke, Hyuk Dojin casually lifted me, placing his hands behind my waist and knees.

“What…!”

“Please stay still. Even if you say you’re okay with a face that looks like you’re about to collapse, it’s not convincing.”

Hyuk Dojin walked slowly to the bed and gently laid me down, covering me neatly with a blanket.

But lying down like this during an important conversation wasn’t acceptable, especially not after his sleeves soaked with my blood. I tried to get up by pulling the blanket, but he didn’t allow it.

“I don’t want to bother you anymore…”

“It’s not bothering, so you can rest. Rather, it’s my fault for dragging you around without realizing how tired you must be after coming all the way here.”

I shook my head. I wanted to say that it wasn’t like that, that it wasn’t his fault.

But my head and eyes became heavy unexpectedly quickly. I couldn’t suppress the drowsiness that made me feel like I had taken medicine.

“I’m sorry…”

I couldn’t bear it any longer.

Now, I just wanted to rest for a while.